


The Deepest Hustle: The Heart.

by TametsiTandem



Category: The Hustle (2019)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 04:13:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19099510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TametsiTandem/pseuds/TametsiTandem
Summary: Con Artists generally love one thing- the Con. But Penny can't quite stop herself from developing feelings. She knows she shouldn't- but she does.





	1. The Start: Josephine

**Author's Note:**

> I just watched the movie and it made me feel something fierce. At first I just really wanted Penny and Josephine to have some sweet hot con artist fun, but then Thomas was introduced and Penny's feelings towards him just struck a chord. How she felt about him seeing her, struck a chord with me. This isn't the best fanfic, but I hope someone enjoys it.

Penny:

Penny stared at Jo, the brunette was mid con, tittering perfectly at the man across the table from them. Her gaze was soft and sweet with all ill intentions hidden beneath the surface. Penny knew what it was like to be gazed at that way by Josephine, from their lessons. Though Jo’s convincing fake tears brought no emotion to her, the brush of long dark lashes as she winked, flirting with their unsuspecting mark, the quiver of her full lip… It drove Penny mad inside. She had never thought that she would feel this way about another woman. She had rarely felt anything for her male companions either, only wishing to use them as they used her. It was only fair after all. She had wants, and needs, desires. Men only cared about girls like her fake little sister. Jo turned to her, the sweetness in her eyes cut by her actual bitchiness. 

Oh. 

Penny turned to their mark, smiling wildly to show off the prosthetic teeth, as she proclaimed herself ready for his sweet affections, “As sisters always share!” She sing-singed. The man looked sick. Even without her deranged royal sister costume, they were always disgusted. 

\---

“What was that!” Jo said, her disgust evident. “You can’t be distracted during a con.” She continued, Penny’s stomach dropped. How could she explain her feelings to Jo? The calculating bitch would never understand.

“Sorry, I thought you had a booger in your bat cave. It was dangling, I was trying to figure when it was going to fly off and hit him in the face.” Penny lied. She, for once, didn’t feel like she was convincing. She looked anywhere but at Josephine, the dark brown of her eyes looking at her like men did. Like she was something to be disgusted by.

\--- 

Josephine:

Josephine didn’t belive her inelegant burden. The obnoxious blonde Australian was lying. Josephine had seen something in Penny’s eyes during dinner that she couldn’t disregard. The blonde’s eyes had a soft quality that Josephine had recognized for what it was. Affection. Want. She was use to her unsuspecting marks developing those kinds of feelings- but her fellow con artist? Though she didn’t think very highly of Penny, she had thought the imbecile was better than that.

“Penny. We both know I don’t have a booger. Now, tell me what’s really going on.” Josephine said, delicately placing her hand on Penny’s arm, watching the larger girl glance at her hand with a reverent look. “Penny, tell me. Really. Aren’t we friends?” She asked, her voice dripping with sweetness at the end. Almost bitterly sweet. She watched as Penny gulped, her lip quivering. 

“I… I like you.” Penny whispered. “The way our marks like you… Well before I scare them off.”

“Oh Penny…” She tittered. Her hand stroking Penny’s supple arm. This was unexpected, but could work in her favour. Maybe Penny could be useful after all. This would be a way of insuring her cooperation in further plans without actually paying the dumb girl. 

\---

Penny:

After Jo had confronted her about her feelings, things changed. Penny found the brunette staring at her more often. Found the other woman’s hand caressing her shoulder, her back, her arm, and sometimes her upper thigh. Always light and fleeting. Always leaving her wanting for more. It drove her as batty as the imaginary booger. 

Between marks, Josephine actually paid attention to her. It made her feel seen. But it felt… wrong. She knew that the other con artist was playing her, but like a fool but she couldn’t escape her emotions. It all felt new. She use to be able to close it down, pack it up like her ridiculous backpack. Push it off a cliff and focus on the con. She’d start pushing it out of her mind, but then she’d catch sight of Jo in her ridiculous outfits, lounging in the backyard, the curve of her long neck. It killed her inside.

Why did she have to be attracted to someone that would always find her lacking? Why did she ever come to France in the first place? Why did she ever try to become more than she was? She was out of her element, both wishing she was Josephine and with Josephine.

\---

She couldn’t believe Jo wasn’t giving her cut of the lord of the rings cons that they had just finished. She deserved her part of the cut. But Jo had said, “You don’t get a cut as my student.” laughing, her smile sharp and mean. "But anyways sweetie, you don’t need a cut do you? You have everything you need here.” She tittered. Her voice dripping into the tone she used on marks. Penny could tell, in that moment that she was being used. 

The sting of it burned. The fact that the brunette thought so little of her, the bullshit excuse of the student not getting a cut until later hurt. She knew better than to think they were really friends- or more than friends, as her heart ached for, but… she had secretly hoped. 

The bet felt like a way to get back at Josephine. For trying to play her, for trying to cow her. Josephine had forgotten that Penny was a con artist too. That they were both stone cold bitches.


	2. The Middle: Thomas

Penny:

Then Thomas happened. She worked so hard to con him- but couldn’t help but fall for him too. For his sweet and open face. For how kind he was. His light fluffy brown hair, his blue eyes and goofy smile. She found herself falling in love with him. The way he looked at her- like she was worth something. The way she wished Josephine would look at her. His kindness was a distraction from the treatment Jo had given her over the last couple of months. 

She tried to call the bet off. But the other con artist just raised the stakes. It was no longer just about the money, but also Thomas. The first to get him won everything. Penny felt kind of bad about turning him into a prize to be won. Although women were constantly treated like prizes, she felt guilty for applying it to him. Trying to con Thomas from his money at the start had felt like nothing, but now? Adding Thomas’s heart to the bet felt like even more of a betrayal to the kind hearted man.

\---

Josephine:

Josephine wasn’t mad about Penny wanting to call off the bet- it had stopped being about the bet, about the 50,000 dollars when she had seen Penny gazing at Thomas the way she use to look at her. It burned. Josephine had never wanted Penny until she realized she no longer had the other woman in her grip.

Sure, she had practically pushed the other woman away with her treatment of her and the bet, but still. She was a collector- and while Penny wasn’t the most refined specimen, she was a part of some of Josephine's greatest cons. Besides, it felt nice to have someone look at her in awe after every con, Bridgette and Albert had ceased to be impressed ages ago. She lived to be looked up to. 

Something had to be done. Josephine found herself inserting herself further into the con. Pretending to be the doctor allowed her to torment Penny- feeding Penny that toilet chip had felt good. Screw her for attempting to insert herself further than she had any right to. Dancing with Thomas- pushing herself against him as Penny was forced to stare blankly and just watch. Like the pathetic wallflower that she is. Although, Josephine had to admit that she cleaned up nicely. Penny was rather pretty in an unconventional way. Her soft form, her bouncing blonde hair, her smile. Even her chortling laugh was charming in a sense.

\---

Penny:

Hearing that Josephine had stayed in Thomas's room overnight burned. The two of them were so beautiful. They deserved each other. They were made for each other. She had seen the way they fit together while they danced. They looked like they made sense together. Penny knew that she was never going to get her happy ending. She was doomed to forever do her petty small cons. She use to believe that she was a bad bitch, but this whole trip had just taught her that she was just a chump.

It helped though, when he came to say goodbye. She knew he cared about her, but she also knew that she had lost him to Josephine. When he gave her his last 50,000 dollars, she had almost cried. She couldn’t take it. He was too kind. They passed it back and forth. He kept it all in the end like a motherfucker. The only thing that soothed her was the fact that he had stole more from Josephine, the money and all her clothing and belongings. It was like a double fuck you to Jo.

But it wasn’t even the loss of her money that hurt the most, it was realizing he was just like Josephine. It was all a con. It was pretty cool that he was related to Medusa, even though that meant Jo was his grandmother. She was impressed with herself though, for keeping her crush in the family.

\--- 

“Thank you for letting me stay with you for an extra two weeks.” Penny said, hugging Jo. She wasn't even sure why she had stayed- it had hurt, but she figured the hurt would help her heal faster. 

“One week longer than we agreed on.” Josephine responded. Both women turned when they heard a loud clatter of several people coming up to the backyard of Josephine’s stately yard. It reminded both women of Penny’s arrival many weeks ago. It was Thomas. His fake texan accent was as loud and obnoxious as his fake orange spray tan. Neither of them were all that impressed, but there was something in Thomas’s eyes that softened something in her. Even though she had spent the last couple of weeks trying to toughen herself up. She had been betrayed twice now, once by Josephine, and once by Thomas. But… The call of the con was too much. She plastered on her fake sounding south african accent, internally grinning when Thomas made Jo her sidekick- and mute to boot. Keeping the brunette from taking over. 

But the best part was when he said that while the rest were lies, he had never lied about her. Their first kiss felt like a new beginning.


End file.
